Wrapping machines



June 13, 1961 L. BROOK WRAPPING MACHINES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 27,1959 June 13, 1961 L. BROOK 2,987,861

WRAPPING MACHINES Filed Nov. 27, 1959 s Sheets-Sheet 2 June 13, 1961 L.BROOK 2,987,861

WRAPPING MACHINES Filed Nov. 27, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented June.13, 1961 ice This invention relates to bunch wrapping machines. In theconventional type of bunch wrapping machine, the articles to be wrappedare lifted in succession each carrying a wrapper with it, through anannular brush into jaws on a carrier head which rotates intermittentlyon a vertical axis. As the result of passage through the brush, thewrapper is folded around the top and sides of the article and depends inirregular pleats from the base of the article. The carrier head thenconveys the articles in succession to a tucking station, where thedepending portions of the wrapper are folded against the base of thearticle, then to a heater which forms a heat sea-l at the base of thearticle, then over a cooler and finally to a dischargestation.

The present invention provides a bunch wrapping machine comprising anumber of pocketed wrapping elements mounted on a rotary carrier head soas to be carried thereby past successive wrapper feed, loading, tucking,sealing and discharge stations, means on eachwrapping element forreceiving a wrapper supplied at the wrapper feed station and holding itacross the mouth of the pocket in the wrapping element, a pusher at theloading station for introducing articles in succession into the pocketsof the wrapping elements as they arrive at the loading station, eacharticle carrying a wrapper with it as it enters the pocket, and means atthe discharge station for discharging wrapped articles from the packets.

In this machine, the wrapper is accordingly folded around one end andthe sides of the article as it is pushed into the pocket of the wrappingelement carrying the wrapper with it. The projecting skirt ofthe-wrapper is folded against the other end of the article'at thetucking station and the overlapping folds of the wrapper at'this end ofthe article are subsequently sealed 'at'the sealing station.

Preferably the carrier head is rotated continuously and means areprovided for momentarily decelerating the wrapping elements as they passthe'wrapper feed, loading and discharge stations. Preferably also thecarrier;head

rotates about a horizontal axis and the articles'arefed to it by thepusher at the loading station from recessesin a continuously rotatingfeed wheel which-also rotates about a horizontal axis.

One specific embodiment of bunch wrapping machine according to theinvention will now bedescribed in more detail, by way of, example withreference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front .elevationof the carrier head and associatedmechanisms with the wrapper feedmejchanism omitted,

FIG. 2 is a corresponding vertical section,

FIG. 3 is .a section on the .line III-{II in FIG. 1 showing thewrapperjfeed mechanism,

FIG. 4 is a side view, partly in section, of the mechanism foractuatingthe transfer pusher, .and

FIG. 5 is a.section on theline V.V- in FIG. 4.

In the construction illustrated, the carrier head is constituted by awheel 10 mounted on a horizontal shaft 11 which is rotated continuouslyby a motor (not shown) in a clockwise direction as seen in FIG. 1. Thecarrier head carries a number of wrapping elements, each constituted bya block 12 formed with an article-receiving pocket 13. The wrappingelements are traversed in succession by rotation of the carrier headpast a wrapper feed station A, a loading station B, a tucking station C,a sealing stationD, a cooling station E and a discharge station F.

The wrapping elements 12 are pivoted to the wheel 10 wrapping'element isformed with a cranked arm 15 carrying 'a runner 16 engaging a cam track17 in a fixed cam 18 concentric with and situated behind the wheel 10.So long as the runners 16 engage a concentric portion of the cam trackthe wrapping elements rotate at the same angular velocity as the wheel.The cam track is, however, so shaped at the points 17A, 17B and 17F asto provide momentary deceleration of the wrapping elements when theyreach the wrapper feed station A, the loading station B and thedischarge station F and subsequently to accelerate them again to theirnormal angular velocity.

A web 19 of wrapping material is fed continuously, asshown in FIG. 3, ina vertical plane and at an angle of some 30 towards the front face ofthewheel near the top thereof by continuously rotating feed rollers 20.The leading end of the web is fed between guides 21 against the frontface of the moving wrapping element 12 situated at the top of the wheel,Wrappers are severed in succession from the web by a rotary knife 22coacting with a fixed knife 23, and the front end of each wrapper isgripped immediately after severance by a pair of grippers which hold thewrapper to the face of the wrapping element 12 in position over thepocket 13 therein. The grippers are constituted by outwardly bentfingers 24, 25 on levers 26, 27 pivoted at 28, 29 to the side face ofthe wrapping element and urged by springs 30 to the closed position. Thelever 27 has a projection 31 engaging a slot 32 in the lever 26 and isformed with an extension 33 carrying a runner 34, which coacts with afixed cam piece 35 as the wrapping element approaches the wrapper feedstation A, causing the grippers 24, 25 to open momentarily to allow theleading end of the wrapper to pass between them and the face of thewrapping element and then close to hold the wrapper to the wrapperelement. As will be apparent from FIG. 2, when the roller 34 rides upthe face of the cam 35, the lever 27 will be rocked anticlockwise aboutits pivot 29 to lift the finger 25 from the face of the element 12.During such movement the projection 32 rocks the lever 26 about itspivot 28 to lift the finger 24 from the element 12. As soon as theroller 34 clears the fixed cam 35, the springs 30 return the parts tothe position shown in FIG. 2.

Since the uniform rotation of the wheel moves the wrappingelements 12approximately 3 /8" per cycle, and the web 19 of wrapping material isalso being fed continuously but at theuniform rate of approximately 2"per cycle, it will beobviousthat the wrapping elements must .beslowedupat thisperiod in order to allowthe leading edge of the web to overtakeand be inserted .beneath the grippers 24, 25. The cam track 17'is soshaped at-17A that .each wrapping element, as it traverses thewrapperfeedmechanism, travels ata suitable speed to allow this to takeplace.

The articles'to be'wrapped, in the case in question round tablets 50,are fed by any conventional feed mechanism into a vertical magazine 36in which the tablets stand on edge, one above the other. From thismagazine successive tablets fall by gravity into peripheral recesses 37in a feed wheel 38 driven by a continuously rotating horizontal shaft39. The feed wheel 38 is situated im mediately below the magazine 36 andimmediately in front of the wheel and rotates on a horizontal axis at auniform speed less than the uniform speed of rotation of the carrierhead. Suitable guides 40' are provided for preventing the tablets fromfalling out of the recesses 37 in the feed wheel 38. Since the recesses37 in the feed wheel are close together the articles are gently removedby the feed wheel from the magazine 36.

At the loading station B which is situated some 45 beyond the Wrapperfeed station A, a recess 3-7 in the feed wheel 38 is brought intoregitser at each cycle with the pocket 13 in one of the wrappingelements 12. The reciprocating pusher 41 then moves inwardly from thefront as described later to deliver the tablet from the recess in thefeed wheel into the pocket in the wrapping element, the tablet takingwith it the wrapper held by the grippers 24, against the face of thewrapping element. At this time the follower 34 associated with thegrippers encounters another fixed cam piece 42, which causes thegrippers to open momentarily to release the wrapper.

It is desired that the angular velocity of the feed wheel and theparticular wrapping element to be loaded should coincide for areasonable period of time in order that the pusher 41 may transfer thetablet with its piece of wrapping material into the receiving pocket inthe wrapping element. Therefore the wrapping element is again sloweddown by suitably shaping the portion 17B of the track in the controlcam. This is necessary since the pitch of the recesses 37 in the feedWheel is considerably less than the pitch of the pocket 13 in thewrapping elements. a

To effect the transfer the pusher 41 is moved backwards and forwards bysuitable movement of a rod 43 supporting it, but it is also swungsideways to match the rotational velocities by a rocking movementimparted to said rod. The mechanism for imparting these movements to thepusher is illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 and is of the followingconstruction: The rod has attached to it a small gear quadrant 60engaging with a similar quadrant 51 mounted on a shaft 52 extendingparallel to the rod. This shaft carries a cam lever 53 coacting with acam 54 to give a rocking action to the shaft 52. This is transmitted tothe gear quadrants 51, 60 to give a sideways swinging action to thepusher 41. The gear teeth on the quadrant 51 are sufficiently wide toallow for the longitudinal movement of the rod 43, and this longitudinalmovement is imparted through trunnion block 55 on the end of the rodengaging with trunnions 56 mounted on a bell crank lever 57. The bellcrank lever 57 in turn coacts with another cam 58 in order to give thenecessary loading action to the pusher 41. The major part of thesideways movement imparted to the pusher 41 by the cam 54 matches thespeed and direction of the recess 37 and the pocket 13 over the smallarc of movement during which the tablet is being pushed from the recess37 into the pocket 13 as the result of the reciprocating movementimparted to the pusher by the cam 58. The pusher 41 receives in additiona small extra sideways movement to allow it to withdraw without fouling.Since there is no appreciable relative arcuate movement of the elements37, 13 and 41 during the said small sideways movement, it is possible toeifect the transfer of the tablet without momentarily stopping the wheel38 or the wheel 10.

When a tablet is inserted into apocket 13 in a wrapping element it issupported at the rear by a friction plunger 44 slidably mounted in thepocket. The wrapper covers the rear surfaceof the tablet, is pleated ina random fashion round the periphery and stands forward in a kind ofskirt from the face of the carrier element. At station C, which issituated approximately 30 below the horizontal, rotary tuckers indicateddiagrammatically at 45 and co-acting with a stationary tucking piece 46complete the folding, and the folds then pass over a heated segment 47at station D and a cooling segment 48 at station E in order to completethe wrapping.

Soon after this the wrapping elements are again momentarily slowed bythe portion 17F of the cam track 17 in order that the wrapped tablet maybe discharged at station F by means of the friction plunger 44. Thefriction plunger receives its stroke from a tappet rod 49 actuated by acam, not shown.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A bunch wrapping machine comprising a number of wrapping elementsmounted on a rotary carrier head so as to be carried thereby pastsuccessive wrapper feed, loading, tucking, sealing and dischargestations, said wrapping elements being constituted by blocks formed withopen-mouthed pockets extending into them in a direction parallel to theaxis of rotation of the carrier head, means on each wrapping element forreceiving a wrapper supplied at the wrapper feed station and holding itacross a face of said wrapping element across the mouth of the pocket inthe wrapping element and a pusher at the loading station for introducingarticles in succession into the pockets of the wrapping elements as theyarrive at the loading station, each article carrying a wrapper with itas it enters the pocket, and means at the discharge station fordischarging wrapped articles from the pockets.

2. A wrapping machine according to claim 1 which includes drivingmechanism for imparting continuous rotation to the carrier head andmeans for momentarily decelerating the Wrapping elements as they passthe wrapper feed, loading and discharge stations.

3. A wrapping machine according to claim 1 in which the wrappingelements are displaceably mounted on the carrier head and comprisingmeans for rotating the carrier head continuously and at a uniform speed,means for feeding wrappers continuously to the wrapper feed station at auniform rate less than the normal peripheral speed of the wrappingelements and means for momentarily decelerating each wrapping element asit reaches the wrapper feed station. V

4. A wrapping machine according to claim 1, in which the wrappingelements are displaceably mounted on the carrier head and comprisingmeans for rotating the carrier head continuously and at a uniform speed,a feed wheel mounted for rotation about an axis parallel to that of thecarrier head and having peripheral recesses located closer together thanthe pockets in the wrapping elements, means for rotating the feed wheelcontinuously at a uniform speed to bring its recesses successively intoregister with the pockets of the wrapping elements at the loadingstation, means for introducing articles in succession into the recessesof the feed disc, and means for momentarily decelerating each wrappingelement as it reaches the loading station.

5. A wrapping machine according to claim 2 in which the carrier head ismounted for rotation about a horizontal axis and which includes arecessed feed wheel arranged to rotate continuously about a horizontalaxis and a magazine for charging articles into the recesses of the feedwheel, the feed wheel bringing its recesses successively into registerwith the pockets in the wrapping elements at the loading station topermit of transfer from the recesses to the pockets by the pusher.

6. A wrapping machine according to claim 2 wherein the wrapping elementsare pivotally mounted on the carrier head for movement about axesparallel to the axis of rotation of the carrier head and carry followerscoacting with a fixed track shaped to provide the required decelerationof the wrapping elements.

7. A wrapping machine according to claim 2 wherein each wrapping elementcarries wrapper grippers which are spring urged to position to hold awrapper against the wrapping element and comprising fixed cam pieceswhich coact with the wrapper grippers to open them momentarily as eachwrapping element passes through the wrapper feed and loading stations.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS RoseOct. 31, 1922 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Apr. 3, 1958

